Anatomical dressing



p 27, 1966 D. R. ROBINSON ANATOMICAL DRESSING 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 29, 1963 R O T N E V W DANFORTH R. ROBINSON p 27, 1966, D. R. RoBmsoN 3,274,999

ANATOMICAL DRES SING Filed July 29, 1963 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 DANFORTH RTROBINSON ATTORNEYS United States Patent Office 3,274,999 Patented Sept. 27, 1966 Filed July 29, 1963, Ser. No. 298,104 4 Claims. '(Cl. 128156) This invention relates to surgical, medical, or other anatomical dressing; and more particularly to improvements in disposable devices such as medical or surgical dressings, sanitary napkins, disposable diapers, or the like.

It is a primary object of the invention to provide an improved device as aforesaid, which, after use and soilage, may with improved facility be simply infolded and then encapsulated within a previously self-contained, flexible, leak-proof and odor-proof casing; thereby rendering it more readily and more conveniently disposable. Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following specification and the accompanying drawing, wherein:

P16. 1 is a perspective view of the back side of a dressing device of the invention;

FIGS. 23 are sectional views taken on lines 22 and 3-3, respectively, of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1, but with an outside cover sheet element of the construction removed to show the normally inoperative envelope element nested therein;

FIG. 5 illustrates the envelope element of the device in disassembled and flattened out condition to show the construction thereof;

FIG. 6 shows the envelope in its initial stages of being folded for nesting within the dressing construction;

FIG. 7 is a section taken on line 77 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 illustrates the used device in partially infolded condition with the previously enclosed envelope in partially pulled-out condition;

FIG. 9 shows the used dressing completely infolded and encased within the envelope, and in disposable condition; and

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken on line 1010 of FIG. 9.

The invention contemplates the provision, in a dressing device of the character described and as illustrated generally at 12 in the drawing herewith, of an envelope element 14 of large open mouth form which is folded fiatwise upon itself and nested within the dressing per se. For example, it may be embedded between the plies 16, 18 of absorbant fabric and the covering fabric sheet 20 making up the dressing construction, as shown in the drawing herewith. One side of the mouth portion of the envelope is formed with an extension providing a finger grip or pull ta portion 22 which is arranged to extend outwardly through a crevice 24 in the covering sheet 20 of the dressing device, when the body of the envelope is nested therewithin. The opposite side of the mouth portion of the envelope is preferably fastened to the dressing construction as by a suitable adhesive as indicated at 26 (FIGS. 3, 4, 5, 8).

Thus, after the dressing becomes soiled it may be initially folded in horse-shoe fashion with the soiled surface disposed inside, while the back-side portion of the dressing will be disposed as shown in FIG. 8, whereupon it is easily held in its folded condition by one hand turned inside-out.

while the tab portion 22 of the envelope is pulled outwardly by the other hand. The bulk of the envelope may now be pulled out through the slot 24 of the cover sheet, but because the one edge portion of the envelope is fixed to the dressing, this manual operation automatically causes the envelope 14 to be turned inside-out while at the same time it encapsulates the soiled dressing. The dressing not only remains in folded condition but also in the process becomes further compressed and compacted within the envelope into a ball-like form as illustrated by FIGS. 9-10. A pressure sensitive type adhesive or the like may be furnished on the underside of the envelope pull-out flap, so that when the dressing is completely bundled inside the envelope as shown in FIG. 9 the flap 22 may be simply pressed against and sealed down to the envelope, thus rendering the disposable package both leak-proof and odor proof.

As shown in PEG. 5, the envelope 14 is preferably shaped to have a tapering side edge form, and the flaps at the mouth of the envelope are also preferably of tapered forms. Thus, the eflective mout of the envelope is wider than any other parts thereof, whereby the inside-out turning and dressing encapsulating process is facilitated. Thus, it will be appreciated that the present invention provides an improved facility, in the form of an envelope which is initially contained in the dressing per se; which with utmost ease and convenience may be withdrawn from the soiled dressing as it is folded uponitself and then turned into the envelope which is in the process of being Thus, the dressing is at the same time slip-fitted into the envelope and compacted therein, whereupon the envelope flaps may be manually closed to provide a sealed encapsulation for the dressing. Thus, the completely wrapped dressing may be conveniently disposed of in any preferred manner.

It will of course be appreciated that various detail changes may be made in the construction of the device. For example, the envelope need not be literally fastened to the absorbent pad fabrication as mentioned hereinabove, so long as the pull tab extends free from the backside of the pad and upon pulling thereof the envelope unfolds and opens to receive the soiled pad, as explained hereinabove. Thus, although only one form of the invention has been illustrated and described in detail, various changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. An anatomical dressing comprising,

an absorbent pad having a front side and a back side,

and a flexible envelope normally fiat-folded in relation to said pad,

said envelope having closed rear and side wall portions and an open mouth edge portion from opposite sides of which a pair of tabs extend,

one of said tabs being attached on its outer side to said back side of the pad leaving the main body of said envelope free from attachment to said pad, said main body of the envelope being folded to normally lie on said one tab with the other tab extending free exteriorly of the back side of said pad, whereby said other tab may be manually pulled to open the month of said envelope and permit said envelope to turn inside out while receiving the folded pad and said References Cited by the Examiner 7 one tab which is attached thereto in completely en- UNITED STATES PATENTS closed position within the envelope. 7 V r 2. The dressing according to claim 1 wherein said main 217501033 6/1956 Plokens 206 63'2 body of the envelope is tapered from said mouth toward 5 3,024,788 3/1962 Lane 128 290 the closed end thereof V r 3,035,578 5/ 1962 Elmore l 128-290 3. The dressing according to claim 1 wherein the outer FOREIGN PATENTS side of said other tab is provided with adhesive means for 868,299 1961' Great Britain.

closing said envelope while inside' out.

4. The dressing according to claim 2 wherein the outer 7 v side of said other tab is provided with adhesive means 10 RIOHARD GAUDET"Pnmwy Examiner for closing said envelope while inside out. C. F. ROSENBAUM, Assistant Examiner. 

1. AN ANATOMICAL DRESSING COMPRISING, AN ABSORBENT PAD HAVING A FRONT SIDE AND A BACK SIDE, AND A FLEXIBLE ENVELOPE NORMALLY FLAT-FOLDED IN RELATION TO SAID PAD, SAID ENVELOPE HAVING CLOSED REAR AND SIDE WALL PORTIONS AND AN OPEN MOUTH EDGE PORTION FROM OPPOSITE SIDES OF WHICH A PAIR OF TABS EXTEND, ONE OF SAID TABS BEING ATTACHED ON ITS OUTER SIDE TO SAID BACK SIDE OF THE PAD LEAVING THE MAIN BODY OF SAID ENVELOPE FREE FROM ATTACHMENT TO SAID PAD, SAID MAIN BODY OF THE ENVELOPE BEING FOLDED TO NORMALLY LIE ON SAID ONE TAB WITH THE OTHER TAB EXTENDING FREE EXTERIORLY OF THE BACK SIDE OF SAID PAD, WHEREBY SAID OTHER TAB MAY BE MANUALLY PULLED TO OPEN THE MOUTH OF SAID ENVELOPE AND PERMIT SAID ENVELOPE TO TURN INSIDE OUT WHILE RECEIVING THE FOLDED PAD AND SAID ONE TAB WHICH IS ATTACHED THERETO IN COMPLETELY ENCLOSED POSITION WITHIN THE ENVELOPE. 